Stories are kicking around now about what 2014 World Cup soccer players are doing, vis-a-vis their sex lives, during the competition in Brazil.

There are lots of opinions about whether abstinence helps fuel performance. In this story from Global News, we learn that a no-sex credo is in effect, at least for some teams like Mexico.

The World Cup story recalls one I did just over four years ago when the Vancouver Canucks were preparing for the Stanley Cup playoffs. (They beat Los Angeles and made it to the Conference semifinals, losing to Chicago, the team that eventually won the Cup that year).

My rather forward – but perfectly serious – questions caught players in the dressing room by surprise. But most of them answered earnestly, offering some insights on the matter of do they/don’t they?

I did another piece about testosterone , the Canucks and research on “the daddy effect” which you can read here.

Here’s the story that appeared in print, back in April, 2010:

Sex the night before a game?

BY PAMELA FAYERMAN

On the eve of the playoffs, Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said players will be expected to stick to their usual healthy living routines.

But as for sex — whether to abstain on or before game days — they’re on their own.

Former Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault

A post-practice press conference with the coach was a fairly dull affair until a Sun reporter included sex in a list of routines discussed with players.

“Coach, what are your expectations, and in fact your advice to players, with respect to daily health routines, whether it is sleep, eating habits, training, recovery, diet, sex? You know, all the normal things people do every day?” was the question posed to Vigneault.

“Sex every day?” he responded, with an incredulous expression, drawing extended laughs from journalists.

“I think for all the other things, before the sex, we do a real good job making sure of the conditioning and nutrition and in my time here, we’ve had a sleep [expert] individual so everything we can control, that we should control, we do. And I believe that’s probably one of the reasons this year why our record in the third period has been so solid and so strong.

“As far as the sex goes, that’s none of my business, they can do what they want. I like to have a lot of control but [not] that part there,” Vigneault said.

In post-practice dressing room interviews, players said they’ll try not to change too much of their routine during the playoffs. Goaltender Roberto Luongo vowed to stick with his eating, sleeping and relaxation routine.

“You want to stick with what’s familiar. You don’t want to start changing things to get out of your comfort zone. When you do something 82 times a year, you want to keep doing the same thing.

“The playoffs can be more draining, though, so you have to take in more food and fluids to recuperate after games. We all lose weight after a game so it’s a matter of replenishing,” he said, adding that intravenous fluids may be required if games go into overtime.

Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo

Luongo said he goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at 8 a.m. and that won’t change during the playoffs. He rarely drinks alcohol and wouldn’t think of having any during the playoffs. Asked whether he has an opinion on whether pre-game sex is a help or a hindrance to on-ice performance, Luongo said: “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” before laughing uproariously.

Andrew Alberts said he watched a television documentary that used a boxer as a subject of scientific study. While Alberts shies away from sex on game days, he said the study on the boxer showed his results in the ring were better because he had more circulating testosterone after sex, which helped his performance in the ring.

“I think you’d have to have thousands of study subjects in a trial to get more accurate results,” he conceded.

Fellow defenceman Nolan Baumgartner said that during the playoffs, he’ll try to get a bit more sleep than his usual seven to eight hours. He doesn’t believe in the necessity of totally abstaining from either alcohol or sex.

“I don’t think a glass of wine with dinner is a big deal. I’m not going to go out and party all night. This is a big opportunity for all of us. We know what’s at stake. We’re creatures of habit. As to sex, I think it’s a huge myth [that it hinders performance.] If guys have a wife or a girlfriend and they want to have sex with them, then more power to them.”

Kevin Bieksa said he couldn’t answer the question about pre-game sex because he’s a family man but he was fully conversant on other pre-and post-game routines.

“When you’re playing every other day, you can feel pretty drained and it’s tough to keep up your strength and endurance. By the end of the playoffs, you’re pretty weathered and you might have lost five or 10 pounds. But personally, I don’t change my eating habits. I eat at 1:30 in the afternoon game day and then 10:30 p.m. after the game. Most of us nap an hour or two before games.”

Kevin Bieksa

Bieksa said his social life doesn’t change much during playoffs.

“This is my social life, the 25 guys right here in this room,” he said, taking a quick pan around the room where his teammates were all removing their sweat-soaked gear.

Mason Raymond swears by the need to maintain the same habits as in the regular season.

“As far as I’m concerned, you do what your body needs, feel what your body is telling you. I’m an organic [food] type of guy so I try to eat healthy year round. Nutrition-wise, I’m very conscious about what I’m putting into my body.”

Raymond says he’s only an occasional drinker but doesn’t abstain completely because “you’ve got to live life.”

As to any rules about sex, he said: “It’s a little bit personal to tell you the truth.”

Tanner Glass said he plans to eat, sleep and train the same way during the post season as he did during the regular season. “I eat every two and a half to three hours, constantly refuelling my body.”

He said he’s “pretty close” to being an alcohol abstainer and while his social life is not that much of a priority during the season or during playoffs, “it’s not like I shut that part of my life off.”

Mikael Samuelsson said he’s been making his workouts a little more intense in the past two to three weeks, to prepare for the playoffs. Like all his teammates, he’s happy Vancouver has drawn Los Angeles as a first-round opponent because of the time zone and travel simplicity.

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